20+ Differences between Liposuction And Tummy Tuck (Explained)

Sometimes fat can be very stubborn, and getting rid of it can be extremely difficult, increasing the chances of people getting various life-threatening diseases. And when that happens, people have no choice but to get fat reduction surgery.

Liposuction and Tummy Tuck are two fat reduction surgeries that are often confused with one another because of their similarities among them.

But despite the similarities, both methods are very different. This article will explore the differences between Liposuction and Tummy Tuck.

Comparison Between Liposuction And Tummy Tuck

Parameter	Liposuction	Tummy Tuck
Meaning	A fat removal cosmetic surgery.	A fat removal cosmetic surgery.
Procedure name	This procedure is known as Liposuction.	This procedure is known as Abdominoplasty.
Types	It can be broadly divided into four main types: Tumescent Liposuction, Ultrasound Assisted Liposuction, Laser Assisted Liposuction, and Power Assisted Liposuction.	It can be broadly divided into three main types: Mini Tuck, Traditional Tuck, and Extended Tuck.
Cost	The cost involved in Liposuction is generally lower than the cost involved in Tummy Tuck.	The cost involved in a Tummy Tuck is generally more than that in Liposuction. It is largely because this surgery removes an excessive amount of fat.
Area	This surgery is largely performed in the abdomen, arms, chin, hips, and thighs region.	This surgery is only done in the abdomen region.
Fat	Compared with a Tummy Tuck, this procedure removes only a small amount of fat.	This surgery, in comparison with Liposuction, removes more amount of fat.
Skin	This surgery comparatively removes small amounts of skin.	This surgery comparatively removes large chunks of skin.
Anesthesia	The most common anesthesia used in this surgery is intravenous sedation.	The most common anesthesia used in this surgery is general anesthesia.
Appearance	The purpose of this surgery is to make body parts look flatter.	This surgery aims to make the abdominal area look firm and toned.
Suitable for	This surgery suits young individuals who cannot lose fat through exercise and diet.	This surgery is suitable for older people who are obese, individuals with a BMI>30, pregnant ladies, and those who are obese with a history of chronic heart problems.
Risks	The most common risks associated with this surgery are numbness, contour irregularities, and fluid accumulation.	The most common risks associated with this surgery are wound complications and infections.
Recovery period	To recover fully after this kind of surgery, patients generally take 2 to 3 weeks.	Patients generally take equal to or less than six weeks to recover after this kind of surgery fully.

Major Differences Between Liposuction And Tummy Tuck

What exactly is Liposuction?

Liposuction is a cosmetic surgery that removes small amounts of fat in the abdomen, thighs, and hip region.

A plastic surgeon mainly performs it, but a dermatologist can also perform it. It is known to remove small amounts of fat and only a small amount of skin.

Thus, this type of surgery is largely opted for by young people who wish to have a flatter stomach without losing much skin.

Since it is cosmetic surgery, thus, insurance companies do not provide any coverage for Liposuction.

Features of Liposuction

Cosmetic surgery is concerned with fat removal from the abdomen, hip, and thigh region.
It is known to remove small amounts of fat as well as skin.
A plastic surgeon largely does it, but a dermatologist can also perform Liposuction.
Widely younger people opt for this surgery because it involves removing mild skin.
Due to its cosmetic nature, insurance companies do not provide any type of insurance coverage for this surgery.

Key Differences Liposuction

Liposuction is a surgical method that is done on people who are trying to remove a small amount of fat present in the abdomen region.
Compared with a Tummy Tuck, this fat reduction method removes lower amounts of skin.
Mostly younger individuals who want to enhance their looks and only want a small portion of skin to be removed choose Liposuction.
It is not a mandatory surgery to go through, given any health condition.
The procedure of Liposuction is known as Liposuction.

What exactly is Tummy Tuck?

Tummy Tuck is another cosmetic surgery that is often confused with Liposuction. This surgery is concerned with excessive fat removal from mainly the abdomen region. Just like Liposuction, it is also widely performed by a plastic surgeon, but a dermatologist can also perform it.

Mostly older individuals, pregnant ladies, and individuals with obesity & chronic heart problems opt for Tummy Tuck as excessive fat can give rise to numerous diseases.

Along with excessive fat, this surgery also removes excess skin. The procedure of a Tummy Tuck is called Abdominoplasty.

Features of Tummy Tuck

A cosmetic surgery that aims to remove large chunks of fat, mainly from the abdomen region.
Along with excessive fat, this surgery involves removing an excessive amount of skin as well.
Plastic surgeons commonly perform this surgery, but dermatologists can also perform a Tummy Tuck.
Older people, individuals with a BMI>30, obese individuals with chronic heart problems, and pregnant ladies most commonly opt for this kind of surgery.
Like Liposuction, insurance companies do not provide any insurance coverage for this surgery.
The procedure of a Tummy Tuck is known as Abdominoplasty.

Key Differences Tummy Tuck.

Tummy Tuck is also a surgical method done on people trying to remove large chunks of fat in the abdomen, thigh, and hip region.
This method of fat reduction removes more amount of skin as compared with Liposuction.
Mostly older individuals and pregnant ladies who are trying to lose fat but cannot choose this fat-reduction method.
When individuals are obese with a BMI > 30 and suffer from chronic heart problems, it becomes mandatory for them to opt for Tummy Tuck when exercising does not benefit them.
The procedure of Tummy Tuck is known as Abdominoplasty.

The Contrast Between Liposuction And Tummy Tuck

Meaning

Liposuction: A cosmetic surgical procedure that aims to remove fat mainly from the abdomen, thigh, and hip region.

Tummy Tuck: A cosmetic surgical procedure that aims to remove fat from the abdomen region.

Types

Liposuction – Primarily, there are four types of Liposuction: Tumescent Liposuction, Ultrasound Assisted Liposuction, Laser Assisted Liposuction, and Power Assisted Liposuction.

Tummy Tuck – Tummy Tuck can be further divided into three categories: Mini Tuck, Traditional Tuck, and Extended Tuck.

Procedure name

Liposuction: The procedure of the surgery of Liposuction is known as Liposuction.

Tummy Tuck: The procedure of the surgery of Tummy Tuck is known as Abdominoplasty.

Procedure

Liposuction: The procedure of Liposuction is different from the procedure of Tummy Tuck, even though both procedures aim to remove excessive fat.
The procedure of this surgery starts by making small cuts on the area where the fat is to be removed. Then a suction instrument known as Cannula is inserted into those cuts to remove the excessive fat by suctioning it.

Tummy Tuck: Even though Tummy Tuck sounds exactly like Liposuction, the procedure of performing a Tummy Tuck is completely different from the procedure of a Liposuction.
In this procedure, medium-sized cuts/incisions are made in the middle of pubic hair and belly button to remove large chunks of skin and fat. After removing the fat, it is then sewn with the help of permanent sutures.

Anesthesia

Liposuction: Normally, doctors use different anesthesia for Liposuction and Tummy Tuck. In this surgery, mainly intravenous sedation is used.

Tummy Tuck: Tummy Tuck uses a different type of anesthesia than the anesthesia used in Liposuction. In this surgery, typically, general anesthesia is used.

Fat

Liposuction: In comparison with Tummy Tuck, it removes a lesser amount of fat.

Tummy Tuck: Tummy Tuck removes more amount of fat in comparison with Liposuction.

Skin

Liposuction: Just like fat, Liposuction removes only a small amount of skin compared to Tummy Tuck.

Tummy Tuck: Tummy Tuck, like fat, removes much skin compared to Liposuction.

Area

Liposuction: Liposuction involves removing fat from the hip, thigh, and abdomen areas.

Tummy Tuck: Tummy Tuck is concerned with removing fat, particularly from the abdomen region.

Opted by

Liposuction: Liposuction is largely opted by younger individuals who want a flat stomach without losing much skin.

Tummy Tuck: Tummy Tuck is largely opted by older individuals, individuals with a BMI>30, obese people with a history of chronic heart problems, and pregnant individuals.

Appearance

Liposuction: This surgery is concerned with making the appearance of the stomach flatter.

Tummy Tuck: This surgery is concerned with making the appearance of the stomach toned and firm.

Risk

Liposuction: Every surgery comes with many risks, and so does Liposuction. The common risks associated with this surgery are numbness, contour irregularities, and fluid accumulation. In contrast, the less common risks of this surgery are infection, organ puncture infection, and fat embolism.
Tummy Tuck: Just like Liposuction, Tummy Tuck also comes with several risks. The common risks associated with this surgery are wound complications and infections. While the less likely risks to happen are tissue necrosis, fluid accumulation, and changes in sensation.

Recovery

Liposuction: The recovery time associated with Liposuction is considerably lesser than the recovery time of Tummy Tuck. On average, patients take two weeks to recover from the Liposuction procedure fully.

Tummy Tuck: The recovery time to fully recover from Tummy Tuck is less than that from Liposuction. Normally, patients take up to 6 weeks to fully recover from the Tummy Tuck procedure.

Cost

Liposuction: Costs involved in this surgery are generally lower than those involved in Tummy Tuck.

Tummy Tuck – Costs involved in this surgery are typically more than those involved in Liposuction.

Types of Liposuctions and Tummy Tuck

Liposuctions

Tumescent Liposuction – This is the most common type of Liposuction. Under this method, to remove fat cells, a suctioning instrument such as Cannula is put inside, which breaks the fat cells.
Ultrasound-Assisted Liposuction (UAL) – Under this method of Liposuction, a metal rod is placed inside that sends ultrasonic waves to break the fat cells.
Laser-Assisted Liposuction (LAL) – Under this method of Liposuction, a laser fiber is placed inside, which uses laser technology to break down fat cells.
Power-Assisted Liposuction (PAL) – Under this method of Liposuction, a vibrating Cannula is placed inside, which makes back and fourth motion to break the fat cells.

Tummy Tuck

Mini Tuck – This is the most common method of the Tummy Tuck procedure. Under this, excess fat is removed only from below the belly button. This method is widely used by women who have never been pregnant.
Traditional Tuck – This is the second most commonly used method of Tummy Tuck. There are few differences between this and Mini Tuck, except that this method removes the excess skin and fat below and above the belly button.
Extended Tuck – This method of a Tummy Tuck is similar to a Liposuction. But the difference is that most people who opted for Extended Tuck have also undergone weight loss surgery. This method removes the excess fat and skin from the abdomen, thigh, and hips.

Conclusion

Liposuction and Tummy Tuck are two of the most common fat removal methods. However, these surgeries should not be confused with weight loss surgeries. Due to similarities in purpose, Liposuction and Tummy Tuck are always confused with one another.

The major difference between a Liposuction and a Tummy Tuck is that the former removes a small amount of fat from different sites, such as the abdomen, thighs, hips, chin, arms, etc. In contrast, the latter removes excessive fat only from the abdomen area.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. What are the different types of Liposuctions and Tummy Tuck?

There are various types of Liposuctions as well as Tummy Tuck available. Liposuctions can be broadly classified into four sub-categories: Tumescent Liposuction, Ultrasound Assisted Liposuction, Laser Assisted Liposuction, and Power Assisted Liposuction. On the other hand, Tummy Tuck can be broadly classified into three categories: Mini Tuck, Traditional Tuck, and Extended Tuck.

Q2. What are some of the risks associated with Liposuctions and Tummy Tuck?

Some of the common risks associated with a Liposuction are numbness, contour irregularities, and fluid accumulation. In contrast, the major risks associated with Tummy Tucks are infections and wound complications.

Q3. Who should go for Tummy Tuck/ Abdominoplasty?

You should opt for a Tummy Tuck/ Abdominoplasty procedure if you are –
1. Obese and Old.
2. Pregnant or thinking of getting pregnant soon?
3. Have a BMI>30.
4. Have a history of chronic heart conditions.

Q4. What are the major differences between a Liposuction and a Tummy Tuck?

The major differences between a Liposuction and a Tummy Tuck are as follows –
1. The former concerns fat removal from various regions, particularly the abdomen, arms, thighs, hips, chin, etc. In contrast, the latter is concerned with fat removal only from the abdomen region.
2. The former uses an intravenous sedation method of sedation, whereas the latter uses general anesthesia as its method of sedation.
3. The former removes low to moderate fat, while the latter removes excessive fat.
4. Along with fat, the former removes minimal skin, while the latter removes excessive skin.
5. Patients fully recover from Liposuction within 2 to 3 weeks, whereas patients recover from a Tummy Tuck within six weeks.